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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the UAE, an ”action plan” has been under development intended to push French authorities into taking action against the Muslim Brotherhood and organizations with alleged ties to it, according to the investigative website Mediapart, meanwhile in the United States, authorities in Maryland are seeking the public’s help locating suspects who painted Islamophobic graffiti at Whitman High School, and in the United Kingdom, a Muslim family spoke of feeling “degraded” and “unwelcome” after a pig’s head was left on their gate by two masked men at night in the city of Stockport last week. Our recommended read of the day is by Eric Andrew-Gee for The Globe and Mail on François Legault’s soon-to-be departure from public office and how his first major legislation (Bill 21) has negatively impacted the broader Muslim community in Quebec. This and more below:
Canada
Legault’s legacy leaves many religious, linguistic minorities feeling less welcome in Quebec | Recommended Read
Samira Laouni moved to Montreal in 1998, largely to escape the racism she faced in France as a Muslim woman, and to give her infant daughter a life free from such discrimination. The Quebec consular official in Paris who processed Ms. Laouni’s immigration paperwork assured the Sorbonne marketing professor that she would be welcome in the province, and at first she was “amazed” at how much that was true. Twenty years later, François Legault became Premier of Quebec. One of his first major pieces of legislation, known as Bill 21, made it illegal for public employees in positions of authority, such as police officers and teachers, to wear religious symbols. The main group affected were observant Muslim women such as Ms. Laouni who wore hijabs. She doesn’t work in the public sector, but the climate of opinion generated by the law has been nothing short of “hellish,” she said. As Mr. Legault prepares to depart office after announcing his resignation last week, he leaves a province where many religious and linguistic minorities feel less welcome in Quebec. Ms. Laouni’s adult daughter, the one her mother so wanted to protect, decided to leave the province altogether and practise psychology in Ottawa. “She can’t take the discourse here,” Ms. Laouni said. “We work like dogs to pay taxes, we contribute to society, and we end up being rejected. Emotionally it’s very, very hard.” read the complete article
International
Confidential UAE memo details plan to push France to act against Muslim Brotherhood
The United Arab Emirates has developed an ”action plan” intended to push French authorities into taking action against the Muslim Brotherhood and organisations with alleged ties to it, according to the investigative website Mediapart, which obtained the confidential memo. Sent last August by the European directorate of the Emirati foreign ministry to the second-in-command at the UAE embassy in France, Ahmed al-Mulla, the 13-page document details a “multi-sectoral mobilisation strategy” to ”encourage French authorities to strengthen measures” against the organisation. “The objective must be to encourage French authorities to reinforce measures - whether restrictions, designations, or tightened regulatory oversights of MB [Muslim Brotherhood]-linked entities - through channels that respect and align with France’s own domestic frameworks and political priorities,” the note says. France is described as a “target country” and a fertile ground for influence operations against the Muslim Brotherhood, which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the UAE. “The political and media environment in France is increasingly favourable to increased surveillance of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamist networks linked to it,” notes the Emirati diplomatic service. read the complete article
Reform chief Farage in outreach to 'anti-Islamist' UAE president
Nigel Farage could meet the president of the United Arab Emirates in the coming weeks, as the right-wing populist leader seeks to build international links, three people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. Farage, whose Reform UK party is currently leading opinion polls, is seeking financial backing from figures in the Gulf state ahead of the next general election, according to a senior party official. The Reform leader travelled to the UAE in December for talks with senior Emirati officials and is expected to return later this month, when he will attend a GB News event in Dubai. A potential meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed is seen by allies as an important step in bolstering Farage's international profile. Senior Emirati officials are reportedly interested in strengthening ties with Reform UK due to shared opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Farage has pledged to ban should he take power. read the complete article
Why Europe's anti-racism strategy fails to deliver
The European Commission’s new anti-racism strategy arrives at a moment of deep contradiction, rooted in Europe’s unresolved colonial past — and avoids asking difficult questions. On paper, the EU is renewing its commitment to equality. In practice, EU policies are accelerating border militarisation, increasing defence spending, and dismantling social protections, with marginalised and racialised communities bearing the brunt. This is not a coincidence, it is the logical outcome of a system that has never fully reckoned with its past, nor with the deeply unequal systems it has contributed to developing over the centuries. The real question is not whether Europe has an anti-racism strategy, but whether it is willing to let the strategy shape its core political actions, narrative, and leadership. read the complete article
United States
Police seek help locating suspects who painted Islamophobic graffiti at Whitman High
An investigation into Islamophobic graffiti discovered on an exterior wall at Walt Whitman High School Jan. 16 continues. Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Public Schools do not yet have a suspect description. They are asking anyone with information to visit Crime Solvers of Montgomery County. On the website click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000. Tips may remain anonymous. The Victims’ Rights Foundation donated an additional $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of any suspects. read the complete article
York University is Rewriting the Story of Race, Power, and Belonging
York University’s Islamophobia Research Hub (IRH; or the Hub) was formally launched last August at a moment of urgent need for rigorous, community-engaged scholarship on Islamophobia. Based at the York Centre for Asian Research in Toronto, Ont., the Hub provides an institutional home for building, mobilizing, and disseminating research that deepens public understanding of Islamophobia. It develops real-world solutions to this social blight rooted in academic expertise and community knowledge. The Hub’s foundational mandate is outlined on its website: Canada now records the highest number of Islamophobia-related fatalities in the G7, and the country continues to see a “disturbing upward trend in hate crimes against Muslims,” marked by everything from fatal attacks to bomb threats and daily harassment. The inaugural event for the IRH gathered scholars, journalists, and community organizers with keynote speaker Shree Paradkar – an investigative reporter at the Toronto Star – offering a strikingly honest and incisive reflection on Islamophobia’s colonial roots. read the complete article
‘Unabashed bigotry’: GOP’s Tuberville sparks backlash with anti-Muslim messages
There’s no legal requirement that American officials put their hands on a religious text during swearing-in ceremonies, but it’s a custom that’s existed for generations. Because most U.S. officials have traditionally been Christians, there’s a norm that people take their oaths with a Bible — a custom Donald Trump bypassed when he neglected to put his hand on the Bible during his second inauguration. But given the rich diversity of faiths that’s long existed in the United States, plenty of officials from minority religious traditions have used their own sacred texts. Evidently, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville isn’t comfortable with this. On New Year’s Eve, the Alabama senator responded to a report about Zohran Mamdani being sworn in with the Quran at the New York City mayor’s inauguration. “The enemy is inside the gates,” Tuberville wrote via social media. Almost three weeks later, Tuberville did it again.Highlighting a video clip of Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi of Virginia being sworn into office with her hand on the Quran, the Republican used social media to push the same six-word message: “The enemy is inside the gates.” According to Alabama’s senior senator — a man who’s favored to get elected governor in November — the U.S. should deport Muslims because of their religion. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Muslim family in shock after pig's head left on gate
A Muslim family spoke of feeling "degraded" and "unwelcome" after a pig's head was left on their gate by two masked men at night. Camran Butt, 41, was leaving the family home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, with his two children on the morning of 9 January when they spotted what they initially thought was a dead animal on the driveway where it had fallen from the gate. In a hurry to get his children to school, he said he did not realise what had happened until he got a "hysterical" phone call from his wife. Butt said the unknown culprits had gone to "extreme lengths" to leave the carcass at 01:30 GMT - and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is treating their behaviour as a hate crime. read the complete article